You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer!

Written by Shana Corey - Illustrated by Chesley McLaren

With an opening line like that, it’s a no-brainer that the ensuing story is going to be entertaining.

In this case, the story is a fictionalized account of how Amelia Bloomer, tired of the restrictive and constrictive garments women of her era were forced to wear, decided to throw convention to the wind and dress for comfort and ease of movement instead, thus popularizing what came to be known as “bloomers”—the predecessors to today’s pants.

The story itself is well-written and interesting, and the scattered illustrations, with their bold, bright colours and soft-edged impressionist style, are extremely eye-catching. But best of all is the response you’ll get from little girls who have never known a time in which women did not wear pants. A great excuse for a history lesson wrapped up in a gorgeous picture book.